CAUTION:This
information was developed for North Carolina and may not apply to other areas.

Sustainable and Organic Pest Control for Lawns

Introduction

The most important aspect of arthropod pest management in a lawn is
maintaining healthy turf in the first place. Grasses that are stressed
or not growing under optimal conditions may be more attractive to pests or
be more susceptible to their damage. It may take more initial work and planning
than traditional lawn care methods, but if your goal is reduced chemical usage,
it is an achievable goal. Unnecessary use of chemicals can also remove
enough of the beneficial organisms such that a pest may rebound to more severe
levels than before treatment.

A simplified list of environmental factors important to a healthy
lawn is:

Varietal choice- Choose one adapted to your area and conditions.
Some turf varieties, are green in summer, some are green in spring and fall.
Some are tall and some are short. Some are dense and some are more open.
Some require more sun than others. Choose the type you desire, or in an established
lawn, learn the characteristics of your plant. Check to see if there
is a turf variety that is resistant to the locally common problems.
Certain varieties contain symbiotic fungi (endophytes) that are detrimental
to caterpillars that feed on their foliage. Your county Cooperative
Extension center can help you determine
which turfgrasses grow best in your area.

Timing- Fertilizing at the wrong time can cause a plant to grow when
it should be dormant, encourage diseases, kill the plant, or be a waste of
time and money. It may also benefit the insect more than the plant.
Mowing at the wrong time or height can also stress plants, cause thinning
or dieback and promote weeds. Mowing before weeds bloom can greatly
reduce their spread by seed. Watering at the wrong time can cause plants
to continue growing when they should be dormant or promote disease.

Thatch Management- Heavy thatch can reduce light that reaches the soil
or bases of the plants. It can keep soils too moist, reduce air movement
and promote disease and insects. It can also bind to chemicals reducing
their efficacy. Clippings can be collected and composted, or if you
prefer to return the organic matter to the soil, mow often enough such that
clippings do not clump, are not too large to breakdown quickly and will not
smother grass or soil.

Organic fertilizer- When organic fertilizers such as composted cow
manure are used, follow the instructions on the bag and fertilize properly
with regard to timing and your soil test analysis. Raw organic fertilizers
can take longer to release nutrients and are harder to control their
distribution.
Poultry litter is more apt to burn turf if not applied correctly. Many
organic fertilizers also introduce weed seeds. They may also encourage white
grubs by increasing attractiveness for beetle egg laying. Waste treatment
plant sludge fertilizers are not without drawbacks and should be studied
carefully before being used. They may contain compounds that are not compatible
with the goals many organic lawn producers share.

Diversity- In general, maintenance increases proportionally to the
size of a planting. A natural environment has diversity. Huge
expanses of the same plant are difficult to maintain since it is not environmentally
balanced. Consider options to large expanses of turf. Use natural
areas and a diversity of trees and shrubs that give shelter and differing
bloom dates to provide pollen sources to beneficial insects. Choose
plants that are low maintenance and will not require heavy pesticide usage.

Realistic Expectations- Organically maintained turf might not match
the lawns on television commercials. There may be other plants mixed
with your turf choice. A weed is only a weed if you don't like
it.
Some unwanted plants may be picked by hand or individually treated. Do not
try to grow turf where turf does not thrive. Shady areas are difficult
to maintain turf. Turf and trees compete with each other for water
and nutrients.

Beneficial Insects Found in Turf

Healthy turf may (and should) contain a variety of beneficial or neutral (neither
pest nor beneficial) insects. Some of the beneficial insects include
ground beetles, rove beetles, predatory and parasitic wasps, nonpest ants.
Some insects may be beneficial and prey upon harmful ones or just be neutral
to the turf environment. Predatory beetles and some small flies can
be predatory on turf-consuming caterpillars. Unnecessary pesticide use
may reduce the insects that are actually suppressing the pest caterpillars.

Scouting

Homeowners often fear that the presence of a pest insect requires treatment.
However, insect pests are often found in a lawn at population levels below what
would produce damage or be worth treating. If turf pests are found in
a lawn, examine other areas in the lawn to determine if the insects are evenly
distributed or localized in one spot. Make counts to determine if they
exceed treatment thresholds.

Turf Pest Identification

Knowing which insect is causing a problem is crucial to
knowing what to do about it. Some pests may not be present in large enough
numbers to do damage. Even when certain pests are present, knowing something
about them will determine the timing, method or the practicality of treatment.
Help in identifying
turf pests can be found at your local Cooperative Extension office and at
the following links:

If fire ants are a problem, chemical baits with low impact on non-target
organisms and which work on the physiology of the ant may be considered.
In addition, with limited infestations, mounds may be drenched with a high
volume of boiling-hot water (be careful) or excavated with a shovel and
dropped into a bucket of soapy water. A little talc powder will help
prevent ants from climbing up a shovel handle. Mound drenches with
d-limonene (Safer Fire Ant Killer) are reasonably effective.

Other Resources

Because environmental conditions, methods of application by growers, and
performance of the chemicals may vary widely, control results may also vary.

Recommendations for the use of chemicals are included in this publication
as a convenience to the reader. The use of brand names and any mention
or listing of commercial products or services in this publication does
not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned.
Individuals who use chemicals are responsible for ensuring that the intended
use complies with current regulations and conforms to the product label.
Be sure to obtain current information about usage and examine a current
product label before applying any chemical.

By Stephen B. Bambara & Rick L. Brandenburg, Extension Specialists

ENT/ort-95 May 2003. This publication replaces a publication originally dated
December 1993.